FORMER prime-time TV star Robert Hughes cut a forlorn figure as he stood in the dock in a Sydney courtroom for the first time yesterday to face child sex charges.

The 64-year-old actor, who starred as a father-of-three in popular sitcom Hey Dad!, sat expressionless behind thick safety glass with his shoulders hunched during a brief hearing at Central Local Court.

He was later released on bail after he agreed to surrender his passport and his wife - prominent show-business agent Robyn Gardiner - put up $50,000 surety.

The 64-year-old arrived on an early-morning flight from London yesterday before he was quickly taken into custody and charged with 11 child-sex offences dating back to 1984.

Police claim Hughes abused five different girls in various suburbs across northern Sydney over a six-year period, with one alleged victim aged only six or seven when she was repeatedly indecently assaulted.

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At least two of the allegations coincide with his time on the long-running show, which he left in 1994 after seven years of filming.

Magistrate Julie Huber yesterday granted Hughes bail after noting he handed himself in to authorities in the UK for extradition to Australia and did not appear to be a flight risk. He has been ordered not to approach any of his alleged victims or potential witnesses in the case.

Hughes was taken from the court complex in the back of a four-wheel-drive with media crews swamping the vehicle.

Outside the court, his lawyer Greg Walsh said his client had first been questioned over the allegations "many years ago" and had consistently maintained his innocence. "This is a very complex and difficult case and there's a long way to go - he realises that," he said.

Mr Walsh earlier asked Ms Huber to keep his client's new Sydney address secret because the "extraordinary" media interest surrounding the case could cause "practical difficulties" for Hughes and his wife.

But Ms Huber said the request had nothing to do with Hughes' safety and refused the application.

Sex Crimes Squad commander Detective-Superintendent John Kerlatec yesterday said Hughes had declined to be interviewed by police since arriving from London. He said more than 200 people had been spoken to as part of a two-year investigation into Hughes' alleged crimes, but anyone with further complaints was still being urged to contact police.

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